ABET, Inc.

ABET is a recognized accreditor of college and university programs in applied science,
computing, engineering, and technology. ABET is a not-for-profit organization, owned
and operated by its more than 25 professional and technical member societies.
An internationally respected organization with some 1,500 volunteers, ABET has set the
higher-educational standards in its fields for nearly 75 years. ABET has been recognized
by the Council for Higher Education
Accreditation (CHEA) since 1997.

What is accreditation?

Accreditation is a voluntary, peer-review process that requires programs to undergo
comprehensive, periodic evaluations. ABET accreditation is assurance that a college or
university program meets the quality standards established by the profession for which
it prepares its students. For example, an accredited computer science program must meet the
quality standards set by the computing profession. The quality standards accreditation requires
are set by the ABET professions themselves. This is
made possible by the collaborative efforts of many different professional and technical societies.
These societies and their members work together through ABET to develop the standards, and they
provide the professionals who evaluate the programs to make sure they meet those standards.
The evaluations, conducted by teams of volunteer
professionals working in industry, government, academe, and private practice within the
ABET disciplines, focus on program curricula, faculty, facilities, institutional support,
and other important areas.

Why is accreditation important?

Our accreditation is important to all constituents (stakeholders) for the following reasons:

Students and Parents: Accreditation helps students and their parents choose
quality college programs. Students and parents can be proud of the education and
feel confident that their time and money are well spent.

Employers: Accreditation assures that the graduates are well-prepared and
that employers can count on the graduates to meet their needs.

Graduate Schools: Accreditation assures that the graduates are well-prepared
and are ready for advanced study and independent research.

Licensure and Certification Boards: Accreditation is used by registration, licensure,
and certification boards to screen applicants.

Faculty of the Department of Computer Science: Accreditation provides the department
a structured mechanism to assess, evaluate, and improve the programs.

College Administration and the Taxpayers of the State: Accreditation helps the
college administration recognize the strengths and weaknesses of various academic programs,
and channel resources accordingly. Accreditation serves the critical function of
accountability for the
funds provided by the taxpayers of the State of New York.

Funding Agencies and Donors: Accreditation helps funding agencies and donors recognize
quality college programs. Some agencies earmark scholarships for students in ABET-accredited
programs.

Assessment

One of the key elements of ABET accreditation is the requirement that programs continuously
improve the quality of education provided. As part of this continuous improvement
requirement, programs set specific, measurable goals for their students and graduates,
assess their success at reaching those goals, and improve their programs based on the
results of their assessment.

ABET uses the following basic definitions:

Program Educational Objectives: Program educational objectives are broad
statements that describe what graduates are expected to attain within a
few years of graduation. Program educational objectives are based on the needs
of the program’s constituencies.

Student Outcomes: Student outcomes describe what students are expected to know
and be able to do by the time of graduation. These relate to the knowledge,
skills, and behaviors that students acquire as they progress through the
program.

Assessment: Assessment is one or more processes that identify, collect, and
prepare data to evaluate the attainment of student outcomes and program
educational objectives. Effective assessment uses relevant direct, indirect,
quantitative and qualitative measures as appropriate to the outcome or
objective being measured. Appropriate sampling methods may be used as part
of an assessment process.

Evaluation: Evaluation is one or more processes for interpreting the data
and evidence accumulated through assessment processes. Evaluation determines
the extent to which student outcomes and program educational objectives are
being attained. Evaluation results in decisions and actions regarding program
improvement.

The Department of Computer Science at The College at Brockport is committed to
continuous program improvement. The department has well-documented
program educational objectives
that are regularly reviewed and modified if found necessary. The department
has clearly-stated
student outcomes
that are consistent with the objectives.
The outcomes are regularly assessed and evaluated to provide appropriate feedback for
curriculum revision.

How can students, alumni, employers, and others help?

ABET accreditation is a significant achievement. We have worked hard to ensure
that our program meets the quality standards set by the profession. And, because it
requires comprehensive, periodic evaluations, ABET accreditation demonstrates our
continuing commitment to the quality of our program – both now and in the future.
We are proud of the ABET accreditation and so should you be! There are a number of
ways in which students and alumni can be of help.

All students: In almost all classes taught by the department, student reactions to
instruction data are collected every semester, using the instructional assessment
system (IAS) instrument, in the last three weeks of classes. Students not only
provide answers to a standard questionnaire, but also provide written narrative
feedback. This feedback provided by students is invaluable to the department.

Graduating Seniors: All graduating seniors are requested to contact the Department
Chair or the Advisement Coordinator and let them know of their plans for graduation
at the beginning of the semester in which they plan to graduate. Graduating seniors
are requested to complete an Exit Survey and participate in an Exit Interview conducted
in the second half of the semester. The exit survey should take about 10 minutes
to complete. The exit interview should take about 30 minutes. By providing balanced,
fair, and frank feedback, students can help the department identify strengths and
weaknesses in instruction, advisement, scheduling, etc. Graduating seniors are also
expected to provide the department a non-Brockport email address that they plan
to use once out of school. We are not interested in email addresses with employers or
local Internet Service Providers as they may not be valid after switching jobs or leaving
town. We prefer gmail, yahoo, hotmail, or aol email addresses. The department uses these
email addresses to contact the alumni for a variety of reasons.

Alumni: Around December of every year, the Office of Career Services gathers
placement information from graduates of the previous December or May. The department
also periodically contacts alumni to gather information about their career growth.
Alumni can help the department greatly by responding promptly to our requests for
information. There is nothing more gratifying to the department than to hear from
alumni about their accomplishments! If you prefer, you may fill out an
Alumni Survey
online any time you want to contact us.

Employers and Educators: The department has an
External Advisory Board, comprised of prominent and experienced computing professionals
in the Rochester, NY area that normally meets once a year face-to-face. The board advises
the department on matters of program educational objectives, student outcomes, curriculum,
course offerings and other initiatives. Those interested in contributing in this capacity
to our programs may contact Dr. K.B. Lakshmanan, Department Chair, at
KLakshma@brockport.edu.

All Others: Feedback from all stakeholders is always welcome on any aspect of
our program. Contact Dr. K.B. Lakshmanan, Department Chair, at
KLakshma@brockport.edu.